Index is simplistic

JONNYMYERS cites the Economist Democracy Index to argue that Israel is democratic (“Off the mark,” Letters, February 28). The index is very simplistic and does not consider a range of human rights factors.

Nevertheless, the Economist’s ranking of Occupied Palestine is poor; it is below Venezuela and Uganda. Myers did not mention this.

Another critic of my article made a similar argument citing the Freedom House indices of political and civil liberties for Israel. Again, my critic neglected to mention that institution’s ranking of the West Bank and Gaza: not free, comparable to Algeria and worse than Morocco, which is consistent with the point I made in my article.

There are more than two million Palestinians living under Israeli control in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

They have no meaningful franchise – they cannot vote in Israeli elections for the government that actually rules their lives – and their civil rights are very restricted. Yet, the several hundred thousand Israelis living there have the vote and full civil liberties.

Israel can’t have it both ways. If it wishes to become a full democracy then it must either give the occupied territories (the West Bank and Gaza) independence, or incorporate them into one political entity with Green-line Israel and give everyone the same rights.